Energy budget of the predatory marine gastropod Polinices duplicatus

Based on direct monitoring of feeding and growth under field conditions and frequent measurements of respiration and energy content in the laboratory, annual energy budgets were derived for Polinices duplicatus feeding on Mya arenaria at Barnstable Harbor, Massachusetts. The gross growth efficiency (P_g/C) of P. duplicatus was high (35%) and varied inversely with snail size. The proportion of ingested energy expended on respiration (R/C) was modest (44%) and varied directly with snail size and inversely with temperature. The energetic efficiencies of P. duplicatus agreed with the few results available for othe predatory molluscs and differed from most results available for herbivorous and detritivorous molluscs.